Brothers
by LovelyChemistry
Summary: Set in alternate universe. Kane is the Undertaker's brother but he never sets foot in WWE or becoming a wrestler.When he receives a letter from the dying Paul Bearer , his late parents friend, Kane is shocked to learn that his brother, whom he thought had died in a fire accident years ago, is still alive.Note:you can read updated version on AO3,I had trouble with FF on my computer.


(i)

 _Your brother is still alive._

The ultimately shocking revelations from the handwritten letter that Paul Bearer mailed to him, comes with the breaking news that Paul has just passed away in his hometown in Alabama yesterday.

Rest in peace, Paul,Kane muses, regretting that he is unable to at least pay his godfather a visit before Paul dies.

Kane sits at his office desk reading the letter that Paul wrote just shortly before his recent death. The handwriting is still not changing and the still much the same like the ones Paul regularly wrote after Kane was adopted by a new family. The last time Paul replying to his mail was him telling Kane that his job is super demanding and he had to frequently travel across the states, but he never tells Kane what kind of job he is doing.

Not that Kane is upset at Paul back then for stopped replying his mails . Between his own struggles of juggling with college and adulthood,he eventually forgot about Paul, and memories about him and the tragic past just aimlessly floating above and finally disappeared into the nostalgia box that he keeps stashed away.

Today Paul reveals everything in the letter- he apologizes to Kane for not keeping in touch all these years, and that he suffers from fatal disease and knowing he won't be able to stay around anymore. And that he wishes to settle things down with Kane because he feels that he is unable to carry the burden of a secret to the grave with him.

It isn't the fact that Paul disappears from Kane' s radar in such a long time but the fact that Paul just telling him that Mark is still much alive. Mark has not been dead in the fire accident that cost the Jacobs family lives thirty years ago.

His brother is out there and alive, and well. And turns out to be a renowned professional wrestler for a multi-million dollar wrestling company, WWE.

Kane is watching his brother on the Ipad before him. All his brother's fights and matches starting the day he made his official debut until to the last recent ones. He also finds the google news and articles about Mark. Mark is now no longer Mark Jacobs. Kane frowns, knowing that Mark has officially taking their mother's maiden name- Calaway. But Kane doesn't blame him anyway. Maybe he doesn't want people to find out about the story of the Jacobs family whose funeral house were burned down and he is the one who had started the fire and resulting in his parents and brother died.

He is famously known across the world as The Undertaker, a legendary gimmick in the WWE company. According to Paul, Mark narrowly escaped the fire but due to fear and panic he ran off leaving the house, thinking his parents and brother were dead. Paul only was reunited with Mark a couple of months later, and Mark had begged him not to let Kane know he is still alive.

Mark obviously is suffering from guilt complex, Paul had stated in the letter. While Kane is taken into the state's social security home, Paul secretly takes Mark under his wing . Growing up as a teenager, Mark spends his life training and joining wrestling competition and promotion, here and there until he finally settles with the WWE. Paul apparently is the one who is managing Mark's career through the years, escorting him to the matches and helping him on occasion if necessary.

There is not much latest news about The Undertaker . After winning multi championship belts and also had undefeated series of major wins , he is rumored to be semi-retired but he only comes back once every year for the company biggest main event- Wrestlemania. Clicking on the images , Kane is not surprised to see Mark's full version of adult. He definitely takes after their father a lot. The ginger hair, (although Mark often coloring them black due to his Undertaker gimmick ) the green eyes, the angry look whenever somebody pisses him off in the ring.

Kane wonders if Mark ever think about him. He wonders why Mark is scared of letting him know that he survived the fire as well, but Kane figures that Paul is right- Mark is suffering from guilt complex. He had started the fire that cost the whole family lives, and he thinks that Kane might never be able to forgive him for the childhood tragedy. The truth is, Kane is pretty much traumatised by the fire tragedy, but he is lucky to enough to be adopted by a kind foster family who had been helping him getting therapy for a few years. The result was positive- Kane no longer living in the nightmare of his family's death and he grows up into a fine and educated young man- going to college and and finally earns himself a top corporate position in the company he works for.

Kane has to admit, at a certain point in his life, when he is still a child, he resents the fact that Mark had caused the fire. There is also a time when he is unable to sleep at nights and keep having nightmares about the accident. He keeps dreaming about his parents, dreaming of Mark stealing the matchbox from their father's toolbox and ignited the fire in the funeral basement, but everything gradually changes when Kane's adopted mother brings him to meet a child psychiatrist.

The therapy session that Kane undergoes every week is working great, Kane finally is able to let go of the anger and sadness of losing his family. And now he is no longer angry or mad at Mark, and Kane suddenly feels deep longing of seeing his brother face to face. The fact that Mark is still alive and actually made fortune of himself and turned out to be a glorified celebrity, making Kane feels relieved and happy for him. But did he ever thinks of reconcile with his younger brother ? Is Mark away somewhere wondering if Kane ever doing well in his own life?

Kane notices Mark is looking way too much old from his actual age. Kane is just five years younger than Mark, but to Kane, his brother seems to be aging so quick. Maybe the years of traveling and putting his body on the line to entertain the wrestling fans eventually taking a toll on him. It is also no surprise that Mark once falls into addiction to drugs and alcohol, and words saying now he is clean and sober, but Kane does not know how much truth is in there. To the world, The Undertaker is a mysterious figure with satanic and dark gimmick, with not much known about his whereabouts and personal lives.

An email from Kane's assistant popping up with the attachment of WWE front row ticket for the upcoming show in the town. Kane smiles, quickly hitting the printer button and pulls out the copy of the ticket together with backstage pass.

 _Breaking news: The Undertaker will be paying tribute to the late and honored Paul Bearer on the next Monday Night Raw._

It is now the latest and confirmed news surrounding the wrestling world. It is also what makes Kane feels obliged to go the show himself and watch his own brother in flesh and in action.

As much he misses Paul Bearer, he misses Mark more. He doesn't know why, but a certain part in him feels thrilled to know his only remaining flesh and blood is out there and alive. It feels as if he is finding out Mark is resurrecting from his death, just like the gimmick he plays on the tv. He longs to see his brother again and telling him that he is no longer angry at Mark for starting the fire and unintentionally killing their parents. He badly wants to let Mark know that he already has forgiven him a long time ago.

He really wants to reconnect with Mark again and having back the big brother he used to had when he was just a child. The big brother he had always thought had perished in the fire accident years ago, but turns out still breathing out there. The big brother that Kane has always idolized and looking upon to since the day he was born.

I miss you, big brother. Kane sighs to himself.

(ii)

 _Monday Night Raw_

Two hours has passed and still no sign of The Undertaker's segment is coming. Kane almost want to leave the show, he is bored to death watching the wrestlers fighting and their boring speeches in the ring. The announcer keeps repeating and replay the same vintage of Paul Bearer and his career journey in the company , much to Kane's annoyance. Not to mention the frequent commercial breaks that nearly drives him crazy, making him wonder how can anyone stand to watch the three-hour scheduled programme.

He keeps checking his watch restlessly, waiting for the current match involving tag team championship to end. In his corporate world, Kane can turn the two hours into multi-million dollars profit and double the amount by the end of the day. The crowd is not exactly loud or too enthusiastic, either. Maybe they are bored and pissed waiting for the Undertaker too.

Kane's backstage pass is completely useless. He gets to see the other wrestlers, which is absolutely has no point for him to meet, and he can't t find the sight of The Undertaker anywhere. One the production crew tells him that nobody ever gets to see the Deadman (another nickname for Mark) backstage .He is pretty much like a ghost, only showing up at times he wants to.

Kane groans when the tedious match finally ending, and the winning tag team is celebrating in the ring for awhile before they finally set off and the commentator announcing that The Undertaker is coming up.

His heart starts pounding when the arena turns dark and the screen turns into the vignette of The Undertaker's entrance, and the sound of the gong echoing into the chilly air. Kane is mesmerized by the sight of his brother finally emerged into the view and he is holding some kind of urn that Kane presumed belong to the late Paul Bearer. It is just like the ones he watched on the internet, but witnessing them live before his own eyes were just too fascinating to him.

The Undertaker is wearing a kind of long, dark robe with hoodie covering his head and walking quite slow as he makes his way towards the ring. As soon as he steps inside, the light turns back on, but the music still continues as he slowly pushes the hoodie back down to reveal his bald head. Like everyone else Kane is dazzled to see that his brother looks much older in person, and although he tries to conceal the wrinkles below his eyes with the black eyeliner, Kane can tell that he is in bad shape. He looks so worn out and tired. How is he still manage to come back and throwing fights and matches with this terrible health?

The Deadman takes the mic and in a hoarse and deep voice, he quietly begins his tribute speech. "Tonight..We gather here to..." His speech is suddenly interrupted by a loud music blasting from nowhere, and Kane turns around to see three men in tactical uniform walking down the stairs through the audience entrance and making their way towards the ring.

Shocked, Kane watches the three men - whom the commentator calls them The Shield- were now circling the ring, and he wishes he can yell at the men to leave his brother alone. He can already tell what what they were planning to do to . Looks like there is going to be a beatdown on The Undertaker and probably a way to disrespect an honored employee of the company. The Deadman, however does not seem to be intimidated at all. He calmly drops the mic in his hand and takes his robe off, preparing for the dangerous ambush.

The leader, a blonde-haired guy jumps in first followed by his two comrades- a big and muscular Samoan and the third one- with blonde-highlighted curls on his black long hair and together they starting to throw assault on The Undertaker. The Deadman does not give in easily, he musters all his energy and strength to fend off the attackers and throwing punches against them as well.

Kane can only cringe when he watches how eventually the number game catching up and The Shield manage to overthrow his brother and they start the beatdown on his brother. Won't somebody come out and save him ? Kane wants to cry now, the mugging on the helpless Undertaker gets worse and the three men were talking trash to his brother. He is becoming more worried when the blonde-haired leader jumps out of the ring and pulls a table from underneath the ring, taking it into the ring with him. Kane has seen this kind of action on the Youtube- his brother went crashing through the tables so many times but that was when he is in younger prime. Can his aging body take another fall like this?

Kane watches in pain as the three men preparing to send Mark through the table that they have set up in the middle of the ring. The leader and the guy with the blonde streak in his black hair lifting Mark up high and placing both of his legs on the Samoan guy and they were preparing to drop him off, but somehow suddenly Mark regains his strength and he kicks the Samoan right in the face, making the bigger guy tumbling on his back. Automatically the other two members lose their hold on The Undertaker and Kane breathes in relief seeing Mark starting to rejuvenate, unleashing a series of non-stop attacks towards the two men.

Kane listens to the roar of the crowd cheering for Undertaker's name as he successfully fighting off the three men, who were attempting to hit back but only to avail when Mark throws the Samoan guy out, who falls with his back hitting the barricade . The blonde-streak tries to attack Mark, but he gets the same fate when Undertaker strikes him with an uppercut that sending him down the floor too. Now it is just the leader being left in the middle of the ring, who still attempts to charge towards Undertaker but he is caught off guard with a gripping chokehold around his jaws, and The Undertaker immediately performing a brutal chokeslam on him.

The tactical vest-clad guy called Dean something, collapses like a fallen tree on to the ring canvas, earning another happy applause from the audience.

His brother hasn't had enough . The Undertaker grabs the helpless man and pulling him up,holding his body down in a reverse position. The crowd were cheering even louder when the Undertaker executes the finishing movement called 'tombstone piledriver' on the leader of the Shield, viciously dropping him straight on the ring canvas.

The Undertaker's music hits the arena again as he stands tall beside the motionless body of the Shield leader. Then he starts taking a glimpse around the audience, and that is when their eyes meet each other. Mark's green eyes suddenly is gazing at him. It feels strange. It seems as if Mark is unable to take his eyes off Kane, making Kane feels uncomfortable. The way Mark focus his eyes on him, as if he recognizes him from afar. Does he know about me? Kane wonders, hesitatedly turning to look away somewhere because he suddenly feels awkward .It isn't too long , though, Mark finally shifts his attention away and he raises the urn he has been holding, and proceeding to make a signature pose as the a sign of respect for the fallen Paul Bearer.

Kane doesn't get to see The Undertaker until the show ends, but he decides that there might be another way to meet him face-to-face someday. Although, Kane senses something about the way Mark stares at him in the ring before. Something that tells him Mark knows it is him.

 _Deep inside, he knows it is his younger brother._

Later that night when Kane returns to his hotel room he is surprised to see someone has left a note on the bed. There is nothing written there except an address of a property located in Texas and Kane's heart almost stops beating to read the bottom text- Mark's name. It seems to him that Mark has send out an invitation to meet him.


End file.
